Keep Me With You
by Dobe-chan The Crazy
Summary: SasuNaru...Sasuke and Naruto find that, no matter how many times they tell themselves 'we're just rivals', they can't hide their feelings toward one another.
1. Fallen Prodigy

A/N:

Fangirls and...other fangirls! (If there are any guys out there, sorry...I've got mostly fangirls)

May I present to you, my all new, all annoyingly emo Naruto fic! Hahaha!

Yes, this will have dashes of other Yaoi in it, and I might have to find a site to publish anything I feel goes over the M rating...which I doubt will happen due to my wimp-ish-ness, but this will mainly be SasuNaru/NaruSasu. No, I'm not making either one seme or uke. Cause I'm that lazy.

But other than that, don't get down on me please. I just found my new obsession with the show and the yaois, so I really don't know all that much about the characters and anything that's happened thus far. Bear with me, if you will. I'm still learning.

However, I do know that Sasuke received the curse mark during the chuunin exams. Well guess what? I'm changing that. Hehe.

So yeh.

♥Raven

_Chapter One: Fallen Prodigy_

The blonde opened one eye, glaring at the battered alarm clock next to his mattress. He grumbled once or twice, willing the hands to go back a few hours, but eventually started to pull himself up. Once again, the boy had laid wrong on his arm, causing all circulation to be cut off and for the arm to fall limp and lifeless next to him. He shuddered slightly feeling the blood rush back to his fingers, but ignored it and moved to the shower.

He plucked his orange pants and his long sleeved fishnet under shirt off the floor, moving slowly and tiredly into his bathroom. He yawned, growling at the reflection he saw in the mirror. It was obvious the boy wasn't a morning person. The genin finished his shower and emerged from the bathroom, only to nearly go flying back into it. "Sasuke you bastard!" He stood up again, pulling down the bottom of his fishnet top. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting you." The dark haired genin replied, perched in the window sill.

"I think I can take care of myself." Naruto spat back, picking up his jacket and head band from the nearby dresser. "You don't need to baby sit me."

"Oh I don't, do I?" Sasuke tipped his head toward the alarm clock, laying flat on it's back from being knocked over earlier that morning. From what Naruto could see, the clock was ten minutes past the time he had needed to be at the bridge.

"Whatever. Kakashi-sensei is never on time, so why should I have to be?" The blonde fought defensively, crossing his arms.

"Because Kakashi-sensei is waiting at the bridge with Sakura, and has been since just before I arrived." Though it was new, and Sasuke wondered if he was sane in saying so, he said it anyway: "Kakashi-sensei was early." Naruto made an odd 'humph', a vein in his forehead bulging as the other boy rolled his eyes mischievously, before following his teammate out through the window.

Though it hadn't been stated as they left, it seemed like the two genin were putting all they could into beating the other to the bridge. More Naruto than Sasuke, really, but the Uchiha boy honestly wasn't putting that much effort into it. They both arrived at the same time, much to Naruto's dismay, but he accepted it upon seeing his sensei patiently waiting, talking absently with their pink haired teammate. "You were early, Kakashi-sensei?"

"You were late, Naruto?" The masked jounin shot back, oddly upset about the boy's lateness. Hypocrite.

"I wasn't any later than you normally–" Before he could finish his sentence he recieved a sharp jab to the side from Sakura, sending him a short glare before returning her love-sick gaze to the uninterested Uchiha.

Kakashi just shook his head, quickly returning to the task at hand. "There has been word of a few criminal sound ninjas running around near the village, and every genin team is being set to patrols." Before the jounin could continue, Sakura cut in.

"Isn't that a chuunin's mission? If not a jounin?" She asked, worried slightly for Sasuke's sake. Ever since he'd been marked with the curse, he'd had a hatred for sound ninjas and anything else that could even slightly remind him of the snake that left him with it.

"All the chuunin are being partnered with a genin team, and all the jounins, as you know, have their genin teams." Kakashi replied.

"In otherwords, the Hokage is putting forth all ninja to protect the village?" Sasuke added, slight curiosity in his voice. "How terrible of criminals could they be?"

"The kind that follow Orochimaru almost directly." Sasuke growled and mumbled a few curses under his breath, fighting to keep himself from lunging into the trees right then. "They're obviously out to taunt before they pull anything," Kakashi paused and looked at the anger boiling in the face of his second-oldest genin. "Anko-chan has a mark as well, Sasuke. You must hold off." This only recieved a grunt.

"Oh get over yourself." Naruto spat, getting another elbow to the side.

"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke retorted, his gaze never once leaving the forest behind his sensei. He waited anxiously for the words 'Let's go' from the silver haired jounin, hardly catching anything else the man said.

After plenty of warning, plans, and suggestion, Kakashi signaled them off. Sasuke, in his own little world, had only skimmed the information. Naruto had done the same, however it was due to his lack of patience. They raced through the trees madly, skimming the ground and branches for any signs at all for a sound ninja. The only sounds, however, were the light ruffles of the leaves around them and the small taps their shoes made against the branches.

Sasuke stopped and Sakura nearly rammed him in the back. He didn't pay it much mind, though, and continued looking around from that spot. "Sasuke, did you notice something?"

The boy said nothing, merely scanned the area. When Sakura caught sight of the boy's profile, she gasped lightly, seeing the Sharingan wheel almost throbbing. It began to spin, speeding around so fast that it looked almost like a blurry ring instead of a spinning wheel. "Yeah. A fifth pair of footsteps." He said quietly, scanning around quicker still. Sakura was worried about Sasuke's mood, not wanting anything to stimulate the curse mark. Out of no where he yanked a kunai from a side pocket and flung it at a nearby branch, taking a few strands of Iruka's hair along with it.

"What was that about?" Iruka yelled, feeling his scalp to make sure nothing more than the tip of his ponytail was cut.

"Sorry." Sasuke said through a grunt, the Sharingan wheels slowing and shrinking around his pupil until his eyes returned to a chilling gray. Naruto lunged up through the branches, having been running at a lower level than Sasuke and Sakura.

"Iruka-sensei! What are you doing here?" He asked excitedly, nearly shoving Sasuke and Sakura off the branch to get to his former teacher.

"I was partnered with your team. Didn't Kakashi–" Iruka was cut off when the silver haired jounin appeared behind him.

"Yeah, I told them. But we have bigger things to deal with. I spotted a pair of sandal prints on a branch ahead." Kakashi said, obviously unnerved. "It's rather sloppy that they were left there," He crossed his arms. "But we need to check it out, none the less."

"What if it's a trap?" Sasuke asked.

"We won't know that unless we spring it, first." Kakashi said. It's not something the jounin would usually say, but he had to do something to keep Sasuke in check. "Let's go."

They all quickly disappeared, rushing through the branches with more urgency. The sound ninja had to be close, and if they caught them they'd no doubt find Orochimaru somewhere near. Sakura and Kakashi were the first to arrive at the sandal prints, followed shortly by Iruka then Naruto. Sasuke, though, was no where to be found. "Where is Sasuke?" Sakura begged, worried that a sound ninja might have caught him.

"He should be catching up. He wasn't that far behind me and Naruto." Iruka said, trying to hide the worry in his voice. He turned to Naruto who merely shrugged.

"I didn't see him behind me." Sakura fidgeted nervously.

Kakashi put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure he's fine. He could just be on a lower level than we are. He'll be al–"

A loud shriek came from further back in the trees, followed by equally loud laughter. Sakura screamed to herself, bringing a hand to her mouth. Kakashi's hand shook and he pulled it away, turning his one-eyed gaze to the chuunin beside him. Before any of them could so much as blink, Naruto was rushing off through the trees toward the origin of the yell. "Naruto!" The three remaining shouted, following closely after.

Naruto moved faster than ever, his eyes shooting from branch to branch. He had to force his feet into a branch to slow himself once he spotted the familiar dark hair of his teammate on the forest floor. "Sasuke!" He yelled, jumping from the trees beside the Uchiha heir. The boy was hunched forward, gripping the curse mark tightly. His nails were digging into his shoulder, blood pouring from the wounds. Naruto pulled him back, looking to the bruises on the boy's face and cuts up his arm. His eyes were closed, but there was an eerie feeling around him that screamed Sharingan. He'd over used it. "You idiot! You shouldn't strain yourself like that!"

"I don't think he can hear you..." Came a hissing voice from behind a tree trunk. A masked sound ninja emerged, cackling with laughter. "It's amazing what sonic pitches can do to the ears."

Sasuke writhed on the ground before Naruto, his hands fighting over whether they should grip the curse mark or his ears. He yelled out in pain, causing Naruto to cringe in both sympathy and anger. "Dammit, you! I'll kill you!"

Sakura jumped out of the trees, landing right in front of Naruto. "Sasuke! Naruto, what happened?" She noticed the anger in Naruto's eyes, frightened as they started to turn from blue to purple. Before they had a chance to make it to red, Sakura fell to her knees and put her hands on the orange shoulders of her teammate. "Calm down, Naruto. We'll deal with it." His eyes slowly changed back, his breathing and pulse slowing. He looked down at Sasuke, who was gritting his teeth tightly and gripping at his ears. The curse mark was obviously less painful, having settled itself across the genin's shoulder and slightly up his neck.

The sound ninja laughed, walking out from behind the tree. No sooner had he done this, Kakashi and Iruka landed in front of the three genin, their hands moving at high speed to make a jutsu. Kakashi's headband had been pushed up, his Sharingan spinning quickly. He didn't even have to glance at Iruka once to know what jutsu they were using. It was a very Naruto-esque thing to do, but they figured it'd be the only way to distract the sound ninja enough to get the genin out. "Go! Take Sasuke to the hospital!" Kakashi's voice echoed out, each of thirty clones speaking.

"But sensei! We need you to seal the curse!" Sakura yelled, trying not to show her sudden confusion.

"It's not like we won't make it back." Iruka said, his thirty clones all speaking at once as well. "Just take Sasuke and try to keep him from using too much energy." This didn't seem to please the dark haired genin. He couldn't hear all that well still, but he could begin to pick up traces of sound.

"I won't go!" He screamed over the ringing in his ears. This made it all the more obvious that he needed to get away from the sound ninja. He opened his eyes, the Sharingan spinning madly. The curse turned a glowing red, spreading across his shoulders and over half of his face. He stood up shakily, then ran through the crowd of Iruka's and Kakashi's, destroying any clone that tried to get into his way.

"Sasuke, no!" Sakura screamed, seeing the curse continue to spread. The curse spread down Sasuke's left arm, almost turning his flesh completely black. Had it not been for the real Kakashi, Sasuke's attack would've finished and the curse probably would've worked it's way to devouring his entire body.

"If you strain yourself like this, you won't survive to see another battle! Think!" Kakashi poked a pressure point, tossing Sasuke through the crowd and to Naruto, who, with a shocked expression playing his face, caught his unconscious team mate. "A ninja always knows when enough is enough! Take him back to the hospital now!" The two genin nodded, disappearing into the trees without question.

--

They made it back to the village without trouble. Sasuke was still knocked out, but was now on Naruto's back. They moved quickly, receiving odd looks and whispers as they passed. Sakura watched Naruto, his gaze lowered and almost defeated looking. It was hard, being the village outcast and seen with an injured prodigy. It was enough to get some nasty rumors started.

Upon making it to the hospital, Naruto wasted no time getting Sasuke to a bed, despite the arguing nurses who'd have done anything to at least hold the Uchiha boy. He merely glared, sliding the door shut behind him and closing them all out. Even Sakura hadn't made it into the room. But she chose not to argue; just to sit and wait.

Naruto set the other boy down gingerly, removing the other's shirt to examine the curse. He reached into a cabinet and grabbed a towel, which he folded and soaked in cold water, placing it softly over the pained boy's forehead. The curse was vivid, making the pale skin that was still showing almost look like the mark instead. From the tips of the fingers on his left hand, up until the nape of his neck was completely black, though, and this made Naruto cringe slightly. "You shouldn't put so much stress on yourself."

"You shouldn't worry...so much..." Naruto jumped at the other's voice, noting that his eyes were still closed and that his teeth were still clenched in slight pain.

"We almost lost you." He said, calming down again.

"I'm fine."

"Don't you lie to me!" The Uchiha boy said nothing. Naruto picked up the other's blackened hand and held it tight, taking a seat next to the bed.

Sasuke smiled. "Thank you, Naruto."

A/N:

Very revoltingly cliche. With just as much emo. xP

Neh. It's alright. What better way to get things rolling, eh? Hehe.

In my other stories, I find that my chapters are shooooooooooort...so I pushed myself to get a long chapter out of this one. I figure that if I start the story with a long chapter, I might want to force myself up to par with every other chapter. 2287 words in this chapter. Not so much, but hey, I try. So ha.

Review review review!

♥Raven


	2. Your Protection

A/N:

Alright! Five readers! I'm on a roll! xD

Oooooooooooook. I've got about twenty bajillion ideas, and can't wait to play them out. But I'll hold back. I don't want to rush this story. That never leads to good things.

But I will respond to the reviews. Hehe.

♥Raven

_Chapter Two: Your Protection_

Sasuke was rather irritated with himself. He didn't know why, but he continuously drifted

in and out of consciousness. Every so often when he'd wake up Naruto would be gone and he'd try to sit up, only to be sent back down by an odd weight on his left shoulder. Though Kakashi had cleared away the seal, he said there would be a weight left over due to his inability to reseal it. From his position on the bed he'd look around as best as he could, only to see that Naruto had gone outside to talk to visitors. He'd drift off again, then wake up to see Naruto next to the bed again, smiling as he saw his teammate's eyes open.

After about ten of these round-about processes, he opened his eyes to a dark room. "Naruto?" He whispered, still not having gained control over his voice. A blonde head shot up from the side of the bed, grunting and blinking quickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's alright!" Naruto said quickly, rubbing his eyes and brushing hair from his face. When the spikes began to die out and the hair started to fall, it could be honestly said that Naruto had lovely hair. The same was often said of Sasuke on the random days he chose to wear his hair in a pony tail or was to lazy to spike it, but that was not very often. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore. And heavy." The genin tried to reach up to his shoulder, just to feel for the mark, but even his right arm was heavy. Mainly because of the lack of use.

"Then don't move you idiot!" Naruto pushed down on Sasuke's struggling arm, maintaining a sense of gentleness as he did so. "You'll just hurt yourself even more!" Sasuke growled and Naruto lifted his hands quickly, despite the fact that he knew Sasuke was in no condition to hurt him.

"I'll be fine." Sasuke started to sit up, cringed, and plunged back down.

"Uh-huh." Naruto crossed his arms, leaning back roughly into his seat with a 'humph'. Sasuke didn't respond, just turned his head away with a scowl. This made Naruto feel a little bad. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you." He laughed. "And so is Sakura. If she's not following Kakashi or Iruka begging to know what she did wrong, she's begging me to let her see you."

The Uchiha laughed lightly, turning his head back. "Lovesick fool." He said, all to sickeningly aware of Sakura's affection.

---

When it came time for Sasuke to finally leave the hospital, his left arm still bore a large weight and had to be supported with a sling until they could find a way to either reseal or remove the curse. Naruto hadn't gone home once over the course of the three days Sasuke was in the hospital, and Iruka had brought him clothes and towels so he could shower. So, as Sasuke left, so did Naruto.

And then, the fan club. "Sasuke-kun!" Lead by Ino, a hoard of shinobi ran at the dark haired genin, waving their arms madly. Some even wiped 'tears' away from their eyes. "Sasuke-kun, I'm so glad to see you're alright!" Ino said pathetically, still trying to swoon the Uchiha.

"Yeah! We thought you'd have to lose your arm! The doctors said they had a hard time lifting it onto fresh pillows!" Kiba yelled from toward the center of the pack. So it wasn't just Sasuke who felt the weight? And how in the hell would Kiba know what the doctors thought?

"It's alright. It'll be healed soon." Neji said, trying to avoid throwing 'fate has good plans for Sasuke' in to the mix.

"Not if that demon fox stalks around him!" Came a yell from the milling crowd, causing a few people to stop and look around in search of the source.

"Yeah! He's the whole reason Uchiha-kun was hurt!" Came another.

"Why does such a smart boy hang around such an abomination?"

"It's pity, I'm sure!"

"To have pity for a demon. Uchiha-kun must truly be a great person!"

"Even so, the demon is what got him injured! His pity should've run dry!" Most of the crowd stopped, yelling things and spouting agreements. It went on for a few minutes before Naruto screamed.

"Shut up! All of you!" He slapped his hands to his ears and pushed through the small group of shinobi, running as fast as he could to his home. It wasn't his fault! The demon was sealed inside him when he was so young, he couldn't have done anything to stop it! Sasuke balled his good hand into a fist, screaming as well.

"Damn it, you! Don't you think he's been through enough?" The now murmuring crowd silenced, looking to the prodigy with pained expressions. "You weren't even there when the attack happened! You don't know anything!" He gritted his teeth. "Naruto wasn't even there when the sound ninja attacked me. But he was the first person to come and help me! Get your information right!" The light murmur silenced, the group of genin standing before the Uchiha trying to figure out if they should glare at the mass of people, or if they should look in shock to their fellow genin. He shook his head angrily, pushing through the crowd and walking fast-paced toward Naruto's home.

When he actually made it there, the blinds were all closed and there was no light even so much as poking out of any of them. He growled lightly under his breath, pounding on the door with his good arm.

"Go away!" Came a voice from somewhere on the first level.

"Make me." A silence. Footsteps started toward the door and it creaked open just a bit and a bright blue eye appeared in the opening.

"What?" Naruto asked quietly, not wanting the other to notice his slight hiccup. It was far too obvious to hide, however, and the dark haired genin quickly heard the choke of previous tears in the other's voice. "I don't need your pity."

Sasuke grinned, but it faded slowly as he felt the sting of Naruto's rage. "I didn't come to offer pity." He started to push at the door, bracing himself for a press back from the blonde. Much to his surprise, the door opened easily and Naruto headed in to the front room.

The blonde yanked off his jacket and head band, throwing them where ever they'd land. All that was left was his fishnet top, his loose hair, and his pants. His sandals had long since been discarded, even before Sasuke arrived. "You want something to eat? I'm making ramen."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Naruto glared. It was odd to see him in such a bad mood. "Sure, I'll have a bowl." He looked to his feet as his teammate grunted, moving quickly in to the kitchen.

It wasn't long before he caught himself looking around the front room. It wasn't much of a home; a mat on the floor, a radio, a couple tables. There was a small window in the back, but it had been boarded up from the inside. The kitchen, from what he could see, was a complete mess of ramen bowls with a stove, sink, and small counter. The walls were cracked and the ceiling was starting to curve down. It was like the world was set out to make the boy's life miserable. The stairs were cracked and bent, and the entire place was dark. It made him feel bad for living alone in the large Uchiha homes.

Naruto continued to frown, exiting the small kitchen with two bowls in hand, a pair of chopsticks in his mouth and another resting in a bowl. Judging by the broth running down his chin, Sasuke could guess he'd been to anxious to wait for the miso. He shoved the bowl with chopsticks at Sasuke. "Eat up." Sasuke stared for a moment as Naruto plopped onto the mat, then followed suit and sat next to him. "Why did you come?" He finally asked, swallowing a thick ball of ramen. "You said you weren't here to offer pity. So then, what do you want?" Sasuke finished a slurp of noodles, staring forward at his crossed feet before resting the chopsticks on the edge of his bowl.

"Those people said some terrible things." He finally answered, twirling the tips of his chopsticks through his broth slowly.

"So? What's new?" Naruto asked, trying to hide behind the thin mask of pride. "It's not like you have an obligation to care."

"I know I don't." Sasuke said slowly. "I just choose to." Naruto felt a stab of guilt. It was terrible the way he was treating Sasuke, and all the Uchiha wanted was to make sure he was alright. "I don't want to see you so sad. You're just not the same without your smile." Naruto fought against the corners of his mouth, willing them not to form a smile. "I want to be your protection."

Naruto lost the battle. Though the smile wasn't his usual cocky grin. Instead it was calm and gentle, glad he had someone to count on. They sat in silence for a while, finishing up the last of their ramen. "Sasuke? Will you stay with me?" Naruto finally asked. He saw the other genin's bowl was empty, and didn't want him to leave.

"Always."

---

Sasuke ended up spending the night. Both wouldn't openly admit it, but they were each plotting up new excuses so that Sasuke wouldn't have to leave, and so that Naruto wouldn't have to make him.

'The crowd will be rather angry...they might come after you.' Was Sasuke's first.

'They might think you've gone bad, hanging around me and all. They could attack you on your way home.' Was Naruto's.

And quite a few more followed after that. It all eventually lead to Sasuke pulling out the spare mat and blanket. He pulled off everything but his boxers, sliding under the blanket and turning his back to his teammate. "Night."

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, doing the same but facing his teammate instead.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you care?" Silence. Sasuke really didn't know how to answer. Answer bluntly, like always? Or tell him the truth? But Sasuke honestly didn't know just what the truth was.

"I just do, ok?" Another silence.

"Thanks." Naruto smiled, noticing the slow up-and-down motions of the dark haired genin's shoulder as sleep over came him. "Goodnight."

---

The following morning was a rather tough one. Neither one wanted to get up, and when they did they found that they'd both, oddly enough, moved off of their mats to the space between them, their heads pressed against one another. Despite their inward feelings of comfort, their prides grew too quickly and they flew backwards, howling with embarrassment. "What the hell was that!" Naruto spat, rubbing at his forehead as if Sasuke could've passed off a virus.

"How should I know! It's not like I was awake to see anything!" Sasuke yelled back, glad that Naruto was acting like himself again. "It was probably just us moving in our sleep! We somehow ended up between the beds, and we woke up shortly after we adjusted to the body heat of each other!" He brushed off, having been snowed on by roof chips when he hit the wall flying back. "It's a natural human instinct. You feel the warmth of another person and grow comfortable! Your mind can't see who it is, so you wake up. It was just a shock to our systems to see each other at such close range."

Naruto said nothing. He knew Sasuke was right, but refused to admit it openly. Instead, he changed the subject. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Miso or Miso?" Sasuke joked, only getting another glare. This one was softer though, almost like Naruto was afraid of hurting Sasuke's feelings again. Sasuke picked up his clothes as they moved from the room, pulling them on slowly on his way down the stairs, leaving his shirt over his shoulder. The sling over his other shoulder was proving to be rather annoying, and the fact that he was starting to get used to it bugged at him. He would've taken it off, had Naruto not been so stingy about him getting better.

Naruto was already in the kitchen, stirring the ramen cups and recovering them, setting a small egg timer for three minutes.

"I made yours udon style." Naruto said, trying not to sound too cold. He was still in a particularly bad mood from the previous night.

"Thanks." Sasuke said, trying not to laugh, even lightly. With their ramen they returned to the mat they'd been sitting on the day before, Sasuke plopping down first this time. "We don't have any missions for a while, do we?"

Naruto's head shot up with a scowl. "How can you think about missions! You can hardly lift your arm!"

"So? I've been through worse!" Sasuke spat back. He'd have sprayed Naruto with ramen broth had he not the mind to swallow first.

"Like what? You rely on your hands for almost all of your attacks! And you can't very well use the Sharingan without making your injuries worse!" Sasuke scowled, unwilling to verbally admit his teammate was right.

"I'd still be able to–"

"Shut up! You're not going anywhere."

"What am I supposed to do then?"

"Stay here." Excuse number what...fifty? "I'll run over and get your stuff later. But until you're healed, I'm keeping an eye on you."

"And you can't do that while I'm at my place?" Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"It's either we stay here, or I stay at your place." Sasuke grinned. He stood, walking to the kitchen and putting his empty bowl in among the others.

"Fine then." He made his way to the door, struggling slightly to pull on his shirt. He finished and turned to a shocked Naruto. "Bring what you want."

"What's that mean? I'm coming to your place?" Sasuke ignored the question.

"See you in an hour, dobe."

---

It wasn't surprising that Naruto ran into trouble on his way to the Uchiha homes. Especially when it was figured out just where he was headed.

_He's probably headed to poison the poor boy's mind even more._

_I bet he's gonna try to kill him. Good thing that Sasuke is such a good fighter._

_Should we stop him? We don't want him catching the Uchiha boy off guard._

He even had a little bit of a scuffle with an old man sweeping his shop steps. He had to move further into the road just to keep the man from beating him to death. It probably would've been smarter just to stay there and take a few hits, though, because as soon as he crossed the street a thick hand took hold of his elbow and yanked him in to an ally. Three more sets of hands took hold of him, pulling at his hair and scratching any flesh they got hold of.

"Where ya headed, demon? Off to the Uchiha houses?" One asked, pulling off the boy's head band.

"What ya plan on doing there, huh? Wanna rope Sasuke into a sense of security?" Another said, laughing.

"I bet you're gonna kill him." Said the third. One set of hands let go, the other two taking hold of Naruto's arms. The man who'd let go moved in front of Naruto, sending a meaty fist into his stomach. It was obvious that each punch was carefully aimed for the mark that sealed the demon inside him. He felt a small trail of blood run quickly from the corner of his mouth and began coughing, small bits of blood falling to the ground before him.

"Aw, did I hurt you dobe?" The two men holding him threw Naruto to the ground, laughing as he writhed and coughed. He wanted to shoot up and beat them, yelling at them to never call him that again, but he knew better. Doing that would just confirm their ill suspicions of him. But not fighting only made things worse. "What's wrong, dobe?" Naruto winced. "Too cowardly to fight, dobe?" The men, unfortunately, noticed.

"Look at that. I think you've offended him." One said, kicking him hard in the side.

"Oh, is that so. What, is Sasuke the only one allowed to insult you?" Another said, kicking him in the side of the face.

"Yeah. That's right. I am." All three men spun on their heals, all gasping simultaneously. Sasuke stood in the opening of the ally, glaring at each of the burly men.

"You can't tell me you're defending him." One said. "He's probably planning on killing you."

"I doubt it, dumb ass. If he was willing to kill me, why wouldn't he just turn on you all and slit your throats?" He nodded his head to Naruto's leg pouch, out of which poked the ring of a kunai. "He could've easily killed all three of you. So why wouldn't he? What's three extra murders to one?" None of them answered, each keeping their gaze off the groaning lump of Naruto on the ground. He was slipping between reality and unconsciousness, listening as best he could to the conversation around him. The last thing he could remember were a few rushed footsteps, followed by a pair of graceful steps. He was lifted, then he blacked out completely.

He came to in a large bed surrounded by many decorations and plants. Obviously a wealthy home. The sheets were black and a window was covered with deep blue drapes. He looked forward and saw a dresser against the wall and immediately knew where he was. The blue shirt with the white and red fan on the back hanging off the edge of a drawer quickly gave his location away. Sasuke's room. He started to sit up, only to receive a shooting pain in his stomach, sending him back down onto his pillow.

"And stay down." Came a voice from the doorway. Sasuke walked in with a large tray. On it was a folded hand towel soaking in a bowl of water, a tea pot, and two small cups. It amazed the blonde that Sasuke could carry such a heavy load in just one hand.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, wondering if this was just a dream.

"Yeah?" Nope. Not a dream.

"What happened?"

"You got beat up by a group of thugs."

"And how did I get here?" Sasuke laughed, setting the tray down and plopping down next to the bed.

"How else? I carried you."

"With one arm!" Naruto tried to sit up again, but fell back with a surge of pain. "You could've hurt yourself!"

"Nyeh. Neji saw me beating the thugs up and came over to help." The Uchiha heir poured tea into the two small cups. "He helped me carry you back here."

"But you still faced three meat heads on your own, you idiot!" Sasuke grinned, taking a sip of his own tea. It wouldn't be fun for Naruto to try and drink laying down, so he'd let him get to it on his own.

"I was fine. I beat one over the head and the other three ran off." Naruto said nothing. He felt terrible for getting Sasuke into danger. If he'd just fought back...defended himself...he'd have been able to prevent any strain on Sasuke. But he was a coward.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke." He said finally, rolling his head over away from the Uchiha.

"Shut up, dobe." Naruto smiled. It wasn't that he was happy to be insulted, it was that he was happy it was Sasuke doing the insulting.

He turned his head to Sasuke. "Thank you."

A/N:

WHEW! Long chapter.

I just couldn't find a good place to end. So...I used my power as the author to corny it up so I could end it. Blech. ON TO THE RESPONSES! subject changing coward

**to death101:** Hehe. Thanks. I'm glad I could give you something to read over and...over.

**to inuyasha92689:** I'll try to update as consistently as I can, I promise.

**to Red Asatari:** Thanks. I try. Hehe.

**to LoversPastForgotten:** I guess you could say that. I'm starting out with a kind of cliche 'confused about their feelings' thing. I'm glad you're interested.

**to blue-genjutsu:** I'm glad. It takes me a while to figure out how I'm going to end things, and usually don't like them...so I'm glad someone does. Hehe.

Thanks guys! Keep the reviews coming!

♥Raven


	3. Just Like Family

A/N:

I'm so glad you all like my story!

I've gotten really hooked on writing it, so you can count on many more chapters. Hahaha.

No, I haven't forgotten about CAWM or LKNB...I'm just giving them a break for a while. I've gotten really into my obsession with Naruto, and really wanna try and stick with it.

**(Translation: I become obsessed with an anime, and shortly after I lose interest in it. I DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN.)**

So yeh. Keep the reviews coming!

♥Raven

_Chapter Three: Just Like Family_

Sasuke spent most of his time at his own bedside, staring down at a reluctant Naruto. The blonde boy was milking the injuries for all they were worth, and to any other person it would've been rather annoying. Sasuke knew better than to believe a single fist fight would render Naruto lame for the day, but he didn't argue. Just laughed at all the excuses the boy came up with to not leave the comfort of the Uchiha's bed. Sasuke was beginning to see just how good Naruto was at making up excuses, and figured that they just _sounded_ terrible to get a laugh out of whoever he was using them on.

The genin picked at a flaw in the fabric of his sling. "You should probably get some sleep. It's late."

The blonde frowned. "Oh? And what are you going to do? Sit there and stare at me?"

"I might." Sasuke said, half sarcastically, half serious. Of course, he wouldn't let Naruto know that.

"Here I am, taking over your bed, and you're the one with the serious injury." The boy started to shift, trying to get out of the bed, but was stopped by a pale hand pulling him back into it.

"This bed fits two." Naruto's head flung around, his blue eyes mere inches away from the hollow black eyes of his teammate.

"You're going to sleep here?" Naruto asked, wanting to avoid anything that might give Sasuke the wrong idea. "We're going to sleep...in the same bed?"

"Yeah. What's the big deal?" The blonde turned bright red. "What? Don't you trust me? It's not like I'm going to rape you in your sleep."

"Bastard! I wasn't thinking like that!"

"Don't lie to me." Naruto went silent.

"I was just thinking of the rumors...what if someone found out?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"The only way anyone would find out would be if they looked into my bedroom window." He raised his eyebrows. "And even so, the house we're in is in the center of the Uchiha homes. The only way anyone would make it to my window would be if they entered onto my property and searched us out."

Naruto knew it was a stupid question, but "What if Itachi saw us?"

Sasuke glared. "That bastard doesn't live here."

Naruto turned brighter red. "Yeah, but what if he has some way of watching you? Or what if he uses his power as a Uchiha to return–"

"He's not a Uchiha anymore, Naruto." Sasuke's voice was stone cold, and Naruto knew immediately that he'd taken it too far. "Just go to sleep already." Sasuke pulled the covers up over his shoulder and, like at Naruto's house, turned his back on his teammate. The blonde genin frowned sadly, feeling terrible for so much as mentioning Itachi. Despite this, however, he closed his eyes to sleep, not wanting to make the situation worse.

---

Naruto opened his eyes to an empty bed. Now, normally this wouldn't be too surprining, the boy living on his own for his entire life. And at first, it wasn't. Until he realized that the black sheets and deep red walls weren't his own. He shot straight up, the pains in his stomach gone and replaced with a large round blotch of purple. Sasuke's shirt was gone from the dresser, as were the shorts he'd discarded the previous night. But, Naruto did notice that the boxer's Sasuke had gone to bed in were now hanging over the edge of his laundry basket and his underwear drawer hung half open.

Once he regained control of his senses, Naruto could smell a rather delectable scent coming in through the cracked open door. He pushed himself up, moving slowly across the room with his nose high in the air. He kept his footsteps silent, though, not wanting Sasuke to know he was awake just yet. But, of course, something had to go wrong, and his toe caught a fold in the rug at the bottom of the stairs. He fumbled around for a bit before regaining his balance. Oddly, the clinking and sizzling sounds continued from the kitchen, and it seemed that Sasuke hadn't even noticed.

Naruto didn't know why he was so scared to have Sasuke see him. It wasn't that he wanted to surprise the Uchiha, it was more a fear of Sasuke rejecting him and sending him right home. The blonde shook his head madly. Why should he care? It's not like it mattered whether or not he stayed with Sasuke right? Despite this he continued to move stealthily, however, moving to the opening to the kitchen. What he wasn't expecting was to see Sasuke drop from the ceiling in front of the door, the clinking noises still echoing from the kitchen. "How long had you planned on stalking around?"

Naruto swallowed hard, turning bright pink. "How long have you been up there?"

"Ever since I heard you take in your breath at the top of the stairs." It was true. Naruto had taken in a breath to keep himself from breathing too loudly. Apparently he'd been too loud as it was, cluing Sasuke in. "You should be more careful about that."

"Then who is...?" Naruto looked in to the kitchen to see a training dummy standing in front of the stove. "Substitution. So like you."

"Like you have room to talk with your clones." Naruto grinned. "C'mon. Breakfast is almost ready." The blonde got excited. He could smell the familiar scent of bacon and eggs coming from the kitchen. He'd never eaten anything but ramen for breakfast, so this was a first. Yes, he'd eaten all those things at restaurants during the lunch and dinner hours when he'd gone with his genin team, but he'd never had it home cooked. Let alone for breakfast itself.

"So you're saying I get to stay for breakfast?"

"Did I stutter?" Sasuke asked, scooping a couple eggs out onto a plate. "What? You don't want breakfast or something?"

"No! It's not that! It's just...I thought...after what I said last night..." Naruto looked at his feet.

"Oh big deal. So you were worried about Itachi breaking in. What's it matter?" Sasuke set one plate on the table and returned to the kitchen to dish out another. "It's not like I haven't come to terms with the fact that he's a freaky guy."

Naruto smiled and took a seat in front of one of the plates. Starving, he began shoveling food into his mouth, not even noticing that the chopsticks he was using were hardly touching the food, and that he was rather vacuuming it all in.

"Whoa! Calm down! You act like you haven't eaten in years!" Sasuke said, taking two bites to every ten of Naruto's.

"I can't help it! Those thugs punched most of the food out of me, along with about half of my blood." Sasuke frowned.

"Why didn't you tell me! I would've gotten you something to eat last night!" Sasuke had to fight slapping the other boy upside the head.

"I was fine! I didn't need anything!" Sasuke raised his eyebrows, looking at the completely cleared plate. If he hadn't just seen his teammate clear it, Sasuke might've thought the plate was perfectly clean. "Ok, so I was hungry. But that doesn't prove anything! I didn't want to bother you!" There was a silence.

"Next time something like this happens, don't feel obliged to cater to my feelings, dobe." Sasuke said, trying to calm the argument. He stood, scooping up the plates and taking them into the kitchen. From the beginning of the argument to the end he'd managed to finish a good portion of his meal, and had by now given up on finishing it.

"Why shouldn't I?" Naruto finally asked, calmed and quiet. "I mean, for one thing it's your home, and for another you're even more injured than I am. _I_ should be catering to _your_ needs."

"You shouldn't because you're myguest, and at the timeyou needed the most attention."

"Idiot. It was just a fist fight. You can hardly lift your arm above your waist." Sasuke glared at this reference to his arm, but said nothing. He didn't want Naruto to know just what had been happening with his arm over the past few hours...

---

"And you're completely sure you can't reseal it?" Kakashi glared at the chuunin following him. Even though he only had one eye to glare with, it was still very intimidating.

"I've told you once, I've told you about twenty million times. I don't know how just yet, Iruka. So _stop asking_." Iruka looked at his feet, embarrassed that he'd gotten on the jounin's nerves so easily. He hardly even realized how much of a pest he'd been. He knew he was bothering Kakashi in the middle of a shift, but he was worried.

"But there has to–"

"_Be a way. Kakashi, please, won't you just try?_ I have tried Iruka, and I haven't found a way yet. _You just haven't been trying hard enough! What about a plain old medication? _This is a curse, Iruka. Medications don't work on curses. _So you have no idea how to reseal it?_ I've told you once–"

"I get it." Iruka said, caught between taking offense and laughing at the joke. "I'm just worried about Sasuke, alright?"

"Maybe you should start worrying about Naruto, too." Kakashi shot back, turning on his heal to stare at the chuunin.

"You think I don't? He's like family to me! All I do is worry about him!" Iruka stared into the silent face of the silver-haired jounin. Something was wrong, and it only took one eye to tell him this. "What happened? Where is Naruto!"

"He's fine now. Sasuke and Neji carried him back to the Uchiha homes and I'm sure Sasuke has been taking care of him."

"What the hell happened, Kakashi!"

"Naruto was attacked by a group of thugs yesterday. They beat him up pretty bad." Iruka's face dropped. "He's fine now, I'm sure. It's nothing he can't take."

"You knew about this and did nothing to stop it?" Iruka asked, fear replacing itself with anger.

"I found out a few hours after it happened. Neji had Ten-Ten and Lee help bring in the three men who did this and we...questioned them...until they told us just what happened." Kakashi flinched at the look he received. Yeah, sure...they questioned the men...good story.

"So you haven't checked up on him at all? Just left him in the hands of another genin?"

"Iruka, it's Sasuke. He lives in abandoned homes that each have their own arsenal of first aid kits. Put that with his obvious genius and you've got a degree-less doctor." Iruka was still not pleased. "Besides, I don't think we want to interrupt them." It took a minute for this to register with Iruka.

"What are you saying! You don't think they're–" The look in Kakashi's eye said it all. "Seriously?"

"Just give it time." The two stared at each other for a moment, shortly followed by Iruka turning bright red and turning away. Kakashi smiled under his mask, turning and heading down the street once again. Iruka followed shortly, causing Kakashi's smile to grow a little wider. "We'll go check in on them later. Just let them adjust to each other for a bit." Iruka nodded, following the taller jounin.

---

All day the only thing on Iruka's mind was Naruto and Sasuke. It was obvious now that there wasn't anything going on between them...was there? He racked his brain for any signs that could clue him in on the situation. Much to his dismay, there were too many to count. He was very relieved when Kakashi offered to take him over to the Uchiha residences for their promised 'check-up'. It hadn't taken them long to figure out just which part of the homes belonged mainly to Sasuke. The one directly in the center was the largest, and would be the immediate pick for anyone forced to live on their own.

They stood at the door for a while, wondering if they should risk knocking. Even Kakashi had his worries. Eventually they worked up the courage to beat on the door, if just lightly, and wait to see what happened. If nothing else, they could make a break for it if anything mentally scarring came into view. Much to their surprise, Sasuke pushed open the door and greeted them...blankly. Like always.

"Hey. What are you two doing here?" He asked, leaning against the door. Naruto came up behind him, shirtless. This made Iruka twitch lightly, but when he saw the large amount of bandages he took to the excuse that Sasuke was only helping him fix up his wounds. Had he half a mind he'd have known that Naruto went to bed and woke up shirtless. Sasuke had just put the bandages on about ten minutes before, and Iruka liked that excuse better.

"Just checking up on you. How's your arm?" Kakashi asked calmly. Iruka pushed forward.

"Naruto, are you alright?" He ignored the fact that Kakashi had just asked a question, and that Sasuke was about to answer. He was too worried for his 'little brother' to care. Sasuke nodded to Kakashi that he was fine, stepping back to let Iruka through. The jounin stopped him, though. He wrapped his arm over the chuunin's shoulder and across his chest, pulling him back and away from the genin.

"He's fine, Iruka. Calm down." Iruka turned bright pink, as did both boys. "You're fine, yes?" He asked Naruto, nodding 'YES' over Iruka's head. The boy was confused, but nodded as well, and Kakashi felt Iruka loosen lightly.

"That's good. I'm glad." He felt the jounin let go, and almost felt bad as he did so, but returned his focus to his former student. He smiled, letting out a light sigh. "How about we all go get ramen?"

It didn't take long for the answer. "Ok!" Naruto exclaimed, running off and up the stairs to get dressed. Sasuke, still rather confused, turned to follow the blonde with his eyes, then returned to Kakashi and shrugged, motioning for them to enter and leading the way into the front room.

A/N:

I can't stand ending stories. I suck at it. But I'm tired, don't feel too hot, and really need to get myself in order. I'm so damn unorganized right now, I'm finding assignments from my junior year in the bottom of my back pack.

Nyerr.

Now, to respond.

**to Sasuke2006:** I'm glad you like it. I've had this idea for a while, and just loved to write it out. Naruto and Sasuke fighting over who gets protective supremacy. Hehe. Like I've said though, there really is no set Seme or Uke, so it should be fun to carry this out.

**to blue-genjutsu: **Hehe. That's kinda what I was going for. They're basically fighting it out for Seme and Uke position without really realizing it.

**to Red Asatari: **No, they can't...assholes...ha. I'll update as much as I can.

**to flame gazer: **Heh. I'm not surprised that you just found it. It's rather new and...not that good...so I'm pretty sure no one's recommended it. T-T I'm rather busy...and constantly tired...–sway sway– so I'll update as much as I can. Promise!

**to sAyUrI-aNbU: **I'm glad you like it. I'll update as much as I can.


	4. Fighting A Demon

A/N:

Haha. You readers make me laugh. I'm looking forward to responding to your reviews. xD

Oh yes, and thank you to **blue-genjutsu **for the idea as to how to open this chapter. Teehee.

♥Raven

_Chapter Four: Fighting A Demon_

After ramen, the four headed out, the two sensei planning on dropping the boys off at their respective homes. Iruka, being the mother that he was, felt that Sasuke should be dropped off at home first. He wouldn't openly say why, just made up a story that Sasuke's house was closer. It wasn't exactly false, Sasuke's house was closer. It's more that he wanted to be sure Naruto got into his house safe, and that no one was around to pester him after they left.

Kakashi looked blankly down at Iruka as they walked. It was almost like he was...jealous. At the very thought the jounin shook his head in hopes of clearing it from his mind. He wasn't jealous of the boy, was he? What was there to be jealous about? He turned his attention to the two genin walking in front of him. He wasn't really paying attention to what they were saying, more how they were acting. He couldn't help but smile at it, Sasuke remaining collected and Naruto jumping about at any slight thing.

It sort of pained him to see the look on Sasuke's face when he was forced to part with his teammate. He looked like he was about ready to jump out and pull the blonde back, not wanting Iruka to take him. But he ended up sliding the door slowly and his footsteps were short and quiet, moving off into the confines of the house.

"Are you alright?" Iruka asked, noticing an equally saddened look on his former student's face. He hadn't seen Sasuke's face, so he didn't know that both were feeling the same, but he figured it had something to do with the prodigy.

Naruto's head shot up, a grin stretching across his face. "I'm fine! Why?" Iruka said nothing. Just nodded and continued forward toward Naruto's house.

Much to Iruka's dismay, they made it back to the genin's house before he worked up the courage to ask Naruto about his relationship with Sasuke. "Now don't get yourself into any trouble." Iruka said, waving to Naruto as he slid his front door closed.

"You're just a worry wart." Kakashi said, his arms crossed over his chest. "Naruto can take care of himself." Iruka frowned.

"I have every right to be worried about him!" He exclaimed, clenching his fists and glaring at the jounin.

"Fine. Whatever." Kakashi sniggered. "C'mon. I'll walk you home."

---

The following morning was rather cold for the time of year. The ground was shrouded in fog, and moisture littered windows all over the village. It was a village wide day off, respectively, being Sunday. Not even the jounin were working. Really, the only people working today were stand owners and restaurant managers. Yes, this made the village highly vulnerable, but they took great pride in their power of secrecy. All chuunin and jounin dressed in their regular uniforms, not only to fool any approaching enemy into believing there was a constant surveillance, but also to prepare for any surprise attacks.

The genin, however, took advantage of the day. All wearing jeans and old t-shirts, lazing around and hanging out with friends. Naruto, wearing his old white shirt with a red spiral and a pair of baggy blue jeans, searched around for either of his teammates, his hands behind his head. It wasn't too hard to spot the familiar pink hair moving through the crowd, browsing the stands and store windows in the marketplace. "Sakura!" He yelled, waving his arm high above his head. His teammate turned, smiling once she saw who it was yelling at her.

"Hey, Naruto! Kakashi told me what happened. Are you–"

"If you ask me if I'm alright, I think I'll burst." Naruto said with a false look of hatred. It quickly changed to his usual mischievous grin, though, and Sakura giggled.

"I'm glad you're alright. Have you seen Sasuke?" The blonde shook his head no.

"I just left my house a few minutes ago. I'll bet he's somewhere in the marketplace."

"I'm sure you're right." They exchanged smiles, then started into the crowd to find their teammate. The two genin didn't say much; Sakura too busy thinking about Sasuke and Naruto...doing the same? He shook his head madly, getting an odd look from Sakura. "Are you ok?" She asked, more sarcastic than concerned.

"Yeah. Just...well I..." He choked on his words. "It's nothing." Sakura cocked an eyebrow, then turned and faced forward again. They walked for about half an hour, stopping at stands and picking up snow cones. But no sign of Sasuke.

"I wonder if he's still at home?" Sakura asked, changing the subject rather abruptly from which type of kunai wrap was the best.

"On a Sunday?" Naruto asked, setting down the two rolls he was comparing. "He'd have to be out of his mind not to be out here." Sakura gave him a dangerous look. "We'll go check, ne?" The pink haired girl nodded demandingly, grabbing hold of Naruto's wrist and leading him down the street toward Sasuke's home.

---

Sakura pounded on the door. Silence. She pounded again. Something shifted on the second story and a smile formed on her features. It took a bit, the sounds of movement slow, but eventually the door cracked open, one of Sasuke's black eyes appearing. The house was dark, making the boy's pale skin seem to glow. But something was off...It was like most of his skin had disappeared into the darkness of the room behind him. As soon as he saw his teammates he slammed the door shut. "Go away!" He yelled through the door.

"Make me." Naruto said calmly, mimicking Sasuke from the previous day. He grinned, but Sakura didn't take the situation too lightly.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?" She called, trying to push open the door. Sasuke's hand was on the slider, though, keeping it from moving at all.

"Just go!" This, naturally, pissed Naruto off.

"Damn it, Sasuke!" He jumped, thrusting his foot into the slider and sending it flying up the hallway. Sasuke had ducked out of the way instinctively, remaining low to the ground even after the loud crashing noise that signaled the fall of the destroyed door. He stood slowly and Sakura gasped. Naruto landed roughly, dumbstruck at the sight before him.

Sasuke stood before them, only wearing a pair of shorts. His entire arm, shoulder, and half of his upper torso were covered in wavy black marks, and his face was completely covered, nearly solid black. The skin colored bits were so faint it appeared as if they were the curse. He backed away, running into his house and fumbling quickly up the stairs. Naruto was on his heels, nearly running smack into the bedroom door as it was slammed in his face. Sakura came up behind him, shaking madly with her eyes wide and pupils the size of needle points.

"Sasuke, you need medical attention!" Naruto yelled, fighting against the closed door. Sasuke had jammed it somehow, and could be heard on the other side breathing heavily.

"Go away! You saw nothing!" He yelled back finally.

"Don't be an idiot! Let us in!" Naruto beat the door, unable to knock it down as easily as he had the front door. Not only was it jammed, it was blocked. "Sakura, go and get Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei. They'll be able to help." He whispered, continuing to pound on the door. She nodded, running off down the stairs. "I'll get in one way or another! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" About twenty Narutos appeared, each starting to pound on the door.

"Just leave, damn it! I don't need your help!" Sasuke yelled, covering his ears to try and shield out everything happening.

"I won't leave! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Twenty more Narutos appeared. With one simultaneous kick, the door collapsed inward, stumbling over a thick red armchair. The door had just been moved off it's track to keep it from moving, and this made Naruto feel a little foolish. But the feeling disappeared when he saw Sasuke balled up in the corner, his knees pulled tightly to his chest and his hands pressed tightly over his ears. Naruto's face dropped. "Sasuke...?"

"Go away..." Sasuke whined pathetically, starting to shake. Naruto didn't heed, though, moving closer to the other genin. He knelt down, reaching out to move his teammate's hands. Before he could even make contact, though, an intense heat burned his hand. He fell back, blowing on his hand desperately.

"What the hell was that!" Naruto shrieked, looking at Sasuke's arm angrily. The curse mark seemed to throb, almost like it was laughing at Naruto for even thinking of trying to help the Uchiha. Sasuke cringed, reaching up to try and hold it as well. He managed to put his hand down, ignoring the heat. He let out a small cry, falling forward. He pressed his forehead hard to the ground, eventually falling onto his side. "Sasuke!"

Naruto had no idea what to do. He couldn't touch Sasuke without burning himself and provoking the mark, and he couldn't very well reseal it. Though he didn't want to admit it, there was only one thing left to do. 'Kyuubi! Kyuubi, you must know something that can help!' He screamed in his head, searching every corner of his mind for the kitsune.

'_And so what if I do?'_ Came a voice, seeming to rattle from the back of Naruto's brain. He wasn't really expecting a response, having not really ever talked back and forth with the demon before.

'You could hear me?' Naruto asked, temporarily forgetting the situation at hand.

'_Of course I can, idiot. I'm a part of you.' _He growled back, causing Naruto to shudder slightly from the odd sensation. _'And as far as I'm concerned, you'd better have a reason for waking me.' _

'I do, I do. Have you got any idea at all about how to help Sasuke?' Naruto pleaded, bracing himself for the tickle of the kitsune's voice.

'_Yeah. But why should I tell you?' _Naruto sent an internal glare. Not that it would frighten a demon very much. _'Whatever. I still need you, so I might as well help.' _Naruto sent an internal smile, receiving a groan. _'I'll need to take over though. It'll be easier that way.' _Naruto was skeptical, but eventually gave way to the demon.

---

When Sakura returned with the sensei, she was shocked at what she found. It hadn't been long since she'd left, but from what she could see, a lot had happened. Sasuke was in the corner, his eyes as wide as hers had been earlier. His pale skin was completely visible, the curse mark back to it's original three-spoked spiral on his shoulder. His hands weakly covered his mouth he struggled to push himself further into the corner. Needless to say, this was very unlike Sasuke. Sakura turned inquiringly to the sensei behind her, only to find them just as shocked, looking to the other side of the room. When she turned, she too went speechless, her throat closing in on it's self and her eyes streaming tears like waterfalls.

Naruto was hunched over, his hand hidden under the folds of his t-shirt. A massive red bloodstain had formed, and a pool of the red liquid rested just below him. What could be seen of his hand was covered in dripping blood, and he was coughing up the vile substance as well. "B...Bastard..." He coughed, pulling his hand out from under the shirt folds. Rather, from his new five stab wounds. His fingers were adorned with long sharp claws. "...Told you...only help...Sasuke..." He looked up for a second , his pupils spinning. They would stop every few seconds, either blue or bright red.

"_Fool...you're only killing yourself_." Naruto said, though...it wasn't Naruto.

"If I die, you go along with me."

"_You're exactly right._" As Naruto's hands had retreated the wounds, they'd torn his shirt, showing the five round wounds. But shortly after the demon spoke, the blood lining each hole vanished, as well as the wounds themselves. Naruto coughed roughly a few times, blood spattering everywhere. "_I can't let you die just yet._"Naruto's head lifted, his eyes bright read and slit yet again. "_Until next time, Uchiha._" Naruto's eyes spun, returning to their original sky blue. He coughed again, even more blood falling to the floor before him.

"...Sasuke..." He muttered, his eyes becoming dull before he fell to the ground, a stream of blood running from the corner of his mouth. Sakura gasped loudly, not sure if she should run to Naruto or to Sasuke. Kakashi beat her to it though, quickly running and picking Naruto off the ground and resting the blonde head in his lap. Sakura could hardly even look in that direction, the dullness of his eyes enough to drive even the most secure men insane.

Iruka was also torn, but seeing Naruto in good hands sent him over to the traumatized Sasuke. He knew just the demon wasn't enough to scare the Uchiha heir this much. But he was obviously not in any state of mind to be explaining. Iruka struggled against Sasuke for a moment before the boy loosened, letting the chuunin pick him up and carry him over to the bed. Kakashi picked Naruto up as well, planning on carrying him out of the house and across the way, into another of the Uchiha homes. He figured he should keep them at close range so when they were ready to face each other again it wouldn't be a prolonged process. Sakura stood rooted to the spot, her gaze shifting back and forth between the spot where Naruto had stabbed himself to the spot where her once collected and emotionless love interest was writhing in fear. Once Iruka noticed her, he couldn't help but tear up slightly.

"Sakura...? Are you alright?" She didn't move. The entire situation had taken it's toll on all of them, but it seemed that Sakura was hit hardest.

---

Naruto rolled his head over on the bed, groaning lightly. "Kakashi-sensei...?" The silver haired jounin's head shot up, his eye blinking madly to wake himself.

"I see you're back." He said, trying to keep the mood from sinking.

"What happened?" With that, Kakashi's entire plan bottomed out. He really didn't want to answer, knowing there was no easy way to tell him. Not only that, but he didn't know the full story. Sasuke was still too traumatized of the situation to openly talk about it.

"In short, it seems you've taken a liking to getting yourself injured." Naruto frowned weakly. "Alright, alright. I don't know the full story yet because Sasuke won't talk...But when I arrived you'd...stabbed yourself." Immediately, memory of the incident came flooding back to him and Naruto shot up straight.

"Kyuubi! He tried to kill Sasuke!" Naruto turned frantically to a shocked Kakashi. "Is Sasuke alright? Is he!" Kakashi shook his head, leaning forward.

"Tell me what happened." The jounin said calmly.

"Tell me if Sasuke is alright!"

"I need to know what happened first, Naruto!" The blonde genin stared quietly at his sensei. "Sakura told me that the curse was spreading. But somehow, I don't think that alone would drive you to use the kitsune's claws to impale yourself."

Naruto swallowed hard. "Sasuke's curse, as you know, was spreading madly. I tried to touch it, but it was practically on fire and I couldn't get close. I asked Kyuubi for help and he promised he'd only take over long enough to reseal the curse, then he'd go back to sleep. He did manage to reseal the curse, but when Sasuke found out it wasn't me, and rather Kyuubi, he thrashed out and hit me–uh, Kyuubi. For some reason, this pissed Kyuubi off, and he started attacking Sasuke. I fought back, trying to get control of my body.

"Kyuubi used a strange jutsu and knocked me out for a while, and when I came to, Sasuke was scared stiff. I started to beat at the kitsune, yelling at him to tell me what happened, and he took control of my hand, trying to stab Sasuke with his claws. I fought for it, and couldn't get him off until I managed to shove the claws into my stomach, causing Kyuubi to retreat so he wouldn't get hurt himself." Naruto finished, now looking at the blanket ahead of him.

"That partially explains why he won't talk." Kakashi said, by now leaned back completely in his chair.

"Partially? What else could've happened?" Naruto asked, calming down finally.

"A whole hell of a lot, my boy. I'm guessing you don't know how long you were out for?" Naruto shook his head no. "Didn't think so. I'm guessing Kyuubi used a scare tactic on Sasuke. Hit him while he was down."

"What do you mean?"

"He probably filled poor Sasuke's head with lies up to high hizzy, not stopping until he had a break down. He then probably helped you recover, made you think he was fighting back so you had to do something incredibly stupid," He let the words linger, watching Naruto 'humph'. "To get him to retreat. He was counting on the fact that you'd stab yourself, threatening your life and his, so he could traumatize Sasuke to the point of which reality and fantasy merged."

"I'm not following." Naruto mumbled, still as reluctant as ever to show his incompetence.

"Of course you're not. What he wanted to do was traumatize Sasuke."

"And he did that by putting him between reality and fantasy?"

"What he did, was make sure Sasuke wouldn't know what or who to believe." Naruto nodded, finally understanding. "Shall we go visit him then?" Kakashi asked, pushing himself up and acting all too calm for Naruto's comfort.

"What the–?" Before he could finish his question, Kakashi had pulled him out of the bed and was leading him out to the main Uchiha home.

---

Sakura had cooled down by now, sitting next to Iruka and staring at Sasuke's back. He'd curled himself up and rolled over, keeping the other two out of view. He was shaking slightly, his eyes remaining wide. His ears, unbeknownst to the others, were ringing madly, and his brain felt like it was vibrating in his skull. He didn't think the Kyuubi could do it. He honestly didn't believe that he could so easily be possessed.

Iruka lifted his head, hearing footsteps outside. The door, which Iruka had fixed just a while ago, slid open, revealing Kakashi and a very reluctant Naruto. "Kakashi-sensei!" He hissed, trying to keep his voice down despite the fact that he knew Sasuke wasn't asleep. "What do you think you're doing!"

"I'm reintroducing the problem." Naruto growled. "It's the most effective way of curing something like this." Iruka showed signs of distrust, but knew better than to question Kakashi's method. He stood, nodding for Sakura to do the same.

"But Iruka-sensei, I want–" He nodded no, and, despite her efforts, eventually forced her from the room, followed closely by Kakashi. The jounin turned, looking to Naruto.

"Bring him back, okay?" And he slid the door shut, watching the stunned boy disappear behind the screen.

A/N:

I actually like this ending. Wow. That's a first.

The spacing on my comp is freaking out on me, so gimme a break if this comes up weird. Nyerr.

And now...RESPONSES.

**to Sasuke2006:** Heh. I'm glad you liked it. I was hoping someone noticed the humor. I'm thinking of making them go either way. Yanno, taking turns. I'm so indecisive...xD

**to blue-genjutsu: **I bet you don't even know how much help your review was. I was trying to figure out how to describe Iruka, and you pretty much gave it to me. Thanks. Hehe. I'm going to hold up on telling just what's wrong with Sasuke's arm, because for one thing, I haven't come up with a good title for it...and for another, I just like being a stinker. Teehee.

**to flame gazer:** Alright, alright. I'll admit, I do like the first three chapters. But this one...you can't lie. It's just bad writing. But I wanted to find an excuse to get Sasuke scared so I could censored do to spoilers for other ideas in the story. I hope you understand. xD

**to Red Asatari: **Don't you worry yourself. They'll get into it a bit later. I'm prolonging it both because I don't want to rush the story and because I'm, as I told blue-genjutsu, a stinker. Hahaha. And, if I manage to get over my wimp-ish-ness, I'll write some mass lemons and post them on another site...when I find a place to post them. I don't want to get in trouble or anything for posting them here. Hehe. So yeh, don't worry. I'm just as big a fan of SasuNaru lovin' as everyone else.

Keep 'em coming! And if you, for whatever reason, like this story, tell your friends! I always like getting new readers! Even if my writing suck big! –mass personal critic–

♥Raven


	5. Blind

A/N:

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell…It's taken me long enough, eh? Hehe. I know. I've been kinda pathetic. But alas! I am posting!

Good news about Lunchbox--I'm having it fixed at a local shop, and it should be done sometime around the middle to the end of next month. Not much to say about a system recovery…I dunno if I'll be able to pitch in for one of those…but I can always just start fresh on my stories, right?

Speaking as for fresh ideas…I haven't really had any that seem too great. Yes, I'll try to twist them in here and there…but you can't hate me if you don't like them. I'm still exploring what the public wants and what I'm willing to give. Hehe.

Raven

_Chapter 5: Blind_

Naruto stared at the closed door for a while, not sure exactly of what Kakashi had wanted him to do. Needless to say he'd just scared one of the toughest people known to the village senseless, and now he was expected to bring him back? Not exactly his thoughts of peaceful recovery.

Before he could really realize what was happening a kunai whizzed past his face, nicking slightly at the edge of his ear. He spun on his heel to see Sasuke sitting up, his hand out-stretched from throwing the knife.

"You're not still the Kyuubi, are you?" He asked, moving his hand back to the open drawer beside the bed. In it were three more kunai, probably stored there should anyone ever try breaking in or something.

"What do you think, moron! Of course not!" Sasuke's glare hardened and Naruto realized that now wasn't exactly the time to pick a fight. Sasuke was obviously still shaken and it wouldn't be wise to provoke him. "Sasuke…" He started moving toward the bed, only to have another kunai fired at him.

"Why the hell did you summon him, Naruto!" Sasuke rose from the bed, clutching the last two kunai in one hand. "He's a demon! He can't be trusted!"

"You needed help, Sasuke! And you wouldn't let me close enough!"

"So you asked him? So you asked a demon to take over your body, knowing full well that he'd do more damage than good?"

"Just listen to me--"

"You had to practically kill yourself to stop him! You're just lucky he healed you, for whatever sick reason! Either one of us, or both for that matter, could--"

Naruto punched the wall behind him, leaving a large hole and silencing Sasuke. "He saved your life, damn it! The worst thing that could've happened would be me ending up dead, and that demon rampaging around! The least you could do is thank me!" Naruto turned sharply, knocking down the door and disappearing down the hall. Sasuke stood transfixed, staring at the hole before turning his eyes to the window, where Naruto could be seen disappearing into a mass of trees.

Sasuke growled, throwing one of the kunai at the wall just above where Naruto's fist left it's mark. "Damn, Naruto."

---

Three days passed, Sasuke healed, Sakura's emotional strength seemed to have recovered, and the two sensei had come to terms with the fact that neither of the students wanted to be counseled. They had a hard enough time admitting anything went on let alone talking about it.

Naruto, however, was missing in action. Literally no one had seen or heard from him in that three day period. The lights in his house remained off, and no sounds of any kind left it. The windows were all shut and locked, the blinds drawn, and the door was locked as well. Kakashi couldn't transport himself into the house using any form of jutsu, and merely beating at the doors and windows did nothing.

Sakura, the naturally worried one, checked his house every day. She'd start out yelling taunts and what not through the door, pounding away furiously at it. Then as time passed she'd end up begging for him to come out, fearing for his health if he didn't. It'd always end up with Kakashi stopping her before it got too late and sending her home.

Sasuke on the other hand, managed to hide any signs that he cared. He'd just shake off the subject of Naruto whenever it arose, and if he could he'd avoid passing the blonde's home. It was almost like he was embarrassed of the way he'd treated the other boy.

"He's just an idiot." He'd say sometimes, hoping that'd cover for his feelings. Kakashi, however, didn't buy it. He stared over the table in disbelief, watching as Sasuke finished off his tiny glass of water.

"An idiot, maybe, but he did risk his life for you." He said, pushing a cup of tea toward his student.

"But he also risked my life!" Sasuke retorted, refusing the tea and turning sideways from his sensei.

"Would you stop thinking of yourself for once!" Sasuke quickly silenced, looking to his sensei in shock. "You could've died, yes. But Naruto made the choice to sacrifice his life to save yours. He unselfishly put himself on the line for you, and all you could do was put him down for it. If anyone should talk to him, it's you. And I think you agree with me." Sasuke said nothing. The silence dragged on for what felt like a lifetime before he pushed himself up, bowed to his sensei, then left.

He took the long walk home, his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his eyes watching the ground. He had been rather selfish…but it was just a cover, right? At least he knew now that no one had seen through it.

---

Two more days passed, and it soon became slightly evident that Sasuke was also worried about Naruto. Though he'd deny it if you'd ask him. He'd started walking past Naruto's house, looking in the windows. He started talking non-stop about his rival. Basically he'd taken a complete 180 from his attitude the previous day.

It was odd enough that the Uchiha had been acting so frozen to the world the previous day, but to now be aching just to talk to someone? It was almost like someone else had taken the boy's place.

Yes, it is quite understandable that Sasuke acted cold. It was just his personality. But to be so cold as to become defensive about even the slightest bit of Naruto-suggestion wasn't like him. And this new, almost caring Sasuke could almost be classified as creepy.

And it seemed that talking to people just made it worse. Every last one of them had told him the same thing: Go talk to Naruto.

"You two seemed to be such good friends. You'd defend him, he'd take care of you. But then all of a sudden you can't stand the kid? I can see why he's in hiding. He probably thinks the last of his protection turned against him." Tsunade said, sifting through some paperwork. Sasuke had gone to her as a last resort, hoping for some advice as to what he should do.

"The last of his protection?" Sasuke asked, browsing the decorative shelves in her office.

"Don't deny it, boy. You know he relied on you for protection."

"But why me? Why not Sakura or Kakashi?"

Tsunade lifted her eyes from the paper, sending Sasuke a 'give-me-a-break' kind of glare. "You must be kidding, right?" Sasuke's face remained puzzled. Tsunade leaned back and crossed her arms, staring at Sasuke silently for a while. "Think about it," She said finally. "You've got nearly unmatched skills. You've definitely got unmatched looks. You're pretty much perfect."

Sasuke stood in silence. At one point in his life he'd probably have agreed at the drop of a hat. But somehow a bit of that cockiness had drained out of him and he merely wanted her to state her point. They stared for a few minutes before Tsunade slapped her forehead in frustration, grumbled, then continued to work. "You truly are blind. When you figure it out I think you'll know what to do. Just go talk to him, ok? Now run along. I'm busy." Sasuke bowed, then turned and left.

Sasuke wandered the main market for a bit. He didn't stop to look at anything, nor did he so much as pay the stands a glance. His mind was in another place, and he finally worked up the guts to head in that direction.

He stood in silence in front of Naruto's front door. No sounds came from inside, no light came through the screens, and everything seemed too…dead. Feeling that something had to be assisting in Naruto's said 'disappearance', Sasuke reached out and touched the doorknob with his index finger. A feeling like that of being electrically shocked ran up his arm and focused in on the curse mark. He retreated his hand, gripping the small black dots. Obviously Naruto had set something into effect on the house, preventing anyone from entering.

Needless to say it'd take quite a bit of effort to get in. And now that he knew he couldn't touch the house without pain setting in, he figured there was no way he could do it on his own. He started to turn away when he remembered the conversation he'd had with Kakashi a few days before. _"He unselfishly put himself on the line for you…"_. Feeling it was only fair, he turned back and stared at the door. Passing through it would only make the pain worse had Naruto set the curse right. He clenched his teeth tightly, balling one of his hands into a fist, and reached out to grab the door. The pain shot up his arm once again, causing him to shake slightly as he worked against the door.

To a person without Orochimaru's mark the pain would've been cut in half, enough to give them the sensation of sticking a fork in an electrical socket. That combined with a force against the door and windows would send any sane person in the other direction. But combined with it, it was like holding a down power line. None the less, Sasuke continued to press against the door. It finally started to move, and he was eventually able to squeeze through a small opening.

Just as he'd predicted, the pain sent through his body only worsened as he entered the house, making it rather hard to move around smoothly. He limped his way around the front room, looking for any signs of Naruto. There were plenty, as expected, and Sasuke made his way to the stairs. "Na…ruto? A-are…you here?" Sasuke said, his throat seeming to close in on itself. He wouldn't last long like this, so he rushed as best he could to find the blonde and to undo whatever curse he had on the house. It was strange that Naruto would go so far as to put a curse on the house…it was beyond Sasuke's knowledge that Naruto even knew how to set a curse.

Upon making it up the stairs, Sasuke could hardly keep himself standing. One eye was tightly closed, and half his body felt numb. Yet he could see a light coming out of a room up ahead, and he pressed forward, limping his way down the short hallway. He leaned against the wall next to the illuminated door, trying his hardest to stay conscious. "Na…Naruto? Open…up." His voice was pathetic and gravelly, gasps for air preventing a smooth sentence. Hearing no movement, he pulled the door open and slid inside, just as he had done when entering the house.

When he made it into the room he collapsed to the floor. A great pressure had lifted and the room felt free. He trembled lightly, a great amount of the pain having lingered over. It had started to take a toll on his muscles and it was obvious the genin would be out of commision for a few days. Naruto shot straight up, having been lying on the bed in the corner. "Sasuke? How the hell did you get in here!" Realizing an answer wouldn't be on it's way for a while, he got up and moved over to the Uchiha.

The dark haired genin had been through quite the struggle, and was now taking advantage of the down time. He'd fallen fast asleep and was unshakeable. One knows true effort when you work yourself to the point of passing out. Naruto sighed, picking the Uchiha up and setting him down on the bed. It was obvious Naruto had planned on staying that way for quite some time; most of the house had been brought to his bedroom. He went into the bathroom, the only other room in the house not under a curse, and wet a folded towel, returning to place it over the forehead of his rival. He pulled a stool up to the bed-side, sat down, and waited.

He laughed lightly, looking over the strained body in his bed. "Sasuke, you fool."

---

Probably around three hours passed before Sasuke returned to reality. He glanced around the room, hearing the sound of a shower running. He sat up, a cold towel falling from his forehead and into his lap. He stared at the wall ahead of him for a while, not noticing the shower stop and Naruto move into the door way, just finishing pulling up his pajama pants. He let the towel over his hair drop to his bare shoulders and smiled, moving over to the stool next to the bed.

"I have to give it to you. I don't think even Kakashi-sensei would be brave enough to work through that much pain." Sasuke said nothing. "Why did you come?" Still nothing. Naruto looked angrily into the side of Sasuke's head.

"Dobe." He said finally, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry." Naruto smiled, but didn't say anything. He quickly hid the smile, not wanting Sasuke to see it when he turned his gaze. "I really am."

"Why did you come?" He asked again.

Sasuke wanted desperately to tell him exactly why he'd ventured through the pain just to see him. He wanted to tell him that he'd missed seeing the bright blue eyes he knew so well. But, he couldn't bring himself to. "To see if you were alright." Naruto didn't entirely buy it, but he chose not to argue for the time being.

"Whatever the reason, you're not getting out of here for a while. Downside of this curse thing is that it lasts for a week, and there are two more days left of it." Naruto stood and moved to his drawers, pulling out some pajamas and tossing them at Sasuke.

"Why did you set this curse?"

"I wanted some alone time. And I knew that no matter what I said people would be barging in and what not, so I tried to keep that from happening. I figured I'd live in here for a few days, then get out. Didn't quite count on getting stir crazy."

"So you knew it'd last a week? That's why you brought your stuff in here?"

"No. I thought it was one of those curses where you can take it off as easily as you set it. I planned on only being here for three days. But when I checked the scroll a few hours ago, I found out I'd be stuck here alone for two more days. Didn't count on you showing up." Sasuke smiled.

"Lemme guess. No way of opening the windows without hurting yourself?"

"You saw how hard it was to open them from the outside. Try opening them from the inside." Naruto up-turned his hands, showing blistered palms and bruised fingertips. "More apparent physical strain. Not very wise."

By now Sasuke had managed to get up from the bed and had worked his way over to the bathroom. At least he'd have a few days to work up the courage to talk to Naruto about how he felt.

---

When he emerged from the bathroom, the pajamas on with the top unbuttoned and a towel draped over his shoulders, he saw Naruto sitting on the floor, reading a small scroll to himself. Most likely the curse seal. "Found any loopholes?" Naruto shook his head, rolled up the scroll, and proceeded to throw it into the corner opposite him. He stood and stretched, making his way over to the bed. He pulled a mat out from under it, having just a bit of struggle; the mat was fastened to the underside of the bed, for just such an occasion. He tossed it to the floor, along with his pillow and the second blanket on his bed.

"How will you sleep without a pillow?" Sasuke asked bluntly, tossing it back to Naruto.

"I have a mattress. You have a mat. Big difference." He said, throwing the pillow, rather than tossing it.

"You don't have to cater to my needs, dobe."

"You're my guest, and I choose to. Take the pillow or I'll throw you out and lock you into the hall." A threat Sasuke knew Naruto didn't have the guts to follow through with, but he chose not to argue and set the pillow down. He laid his head against it and closed his eyes, falling asleep in mere seconds. Naruto didn't lay down. Just watched as Sasuke slept peacefully next to him. His expression softened and a calm smile crossed his lips. He leaned over and planted a light kiss on Sasuke's forehead.

"Good night, Sasuke."

A/N:

Whoot. Another corny ending. Perfect for another short chapter, eh? Ha. I'm so pathetic when it comes to writing.

Hehe.

Damn. A whole load of responses need to be made. --

**To ****blue-genjutsu**Hehe. Yeah, it was helpful. I know, I know, it seems like I'm taking them out of one painful situation and putting them into another. It's like I don't want them to heal, eh? Hahaha. I just work better with a little emo situation-ness. But I do promise, Sasuke will get better. Oh, so much better. xD

**To sAyUrI-aNbU: **Hehe…ASAP…right…-- Gomen.

**To Solar Angel: **I believe I stopped due to the end of the chapter…O.o…I could be wrong. XD I hope I can keep your interest.

**To kchan1: **I'm just a black hearted person, eh? Hehehe. Thanks. I'm glad you like the story.

**To Thyphy: **Hehe, yeah. Not much. I'll get a little more in-depth with the description as to what happened later, but for right now I'm just gonna let Naruto and Sasuke get settled before I have either of them want to ask anything about that night. As for a law…I had no idea. You must realize, I jumped into Naruto-fandom through Shonen Jump magazine. So when I realized they played it on Cartoon Network, they were already on the Chuunin exams. I have no idea what happens before that, so you must forgive me.

**To Sasuke2006: **Hehe. Yeah, they're both too thick headed for one to accept being uke. To be perfectly honest, I haven't had anyone reseal the curse yet. So really, all hell could break loose. I guess it just depends on what kinda mood I'm in when I start on the next chapter…--evil laughter--

**To FMA-lover16: **Gomen gomen gomen! I was very selfish in making you wait for the next chapter. I'm glad you're excited for it, though.

**To ****silver fox aka vash**Stumbling across is good! I'm glad you like it.

**To Sonicfanatic: **Ignoring it! Well I never. Hehe. I'm glad you like it. But somewhat brilliant? Nyeh…Too much credit. I believe the term is, 'satisfactory' xD

**To flame gazer: **I'm glad you like the first three. Hehe. I don't like them all that much myself, and I really wish I'd spent more time editing the fourth one…but the writer is always the biggest critic, no? And at least you're honest. I like honesty in my reviews.

**To Inu-Chan-000: **Oh don't die! Not only will I be a murderer, but I'll loose a faithful reader! I can't have that! Hahaha. I'll clue everyone in on what happened with Kyuubi later…I'm just gonna let Sasuke and Naruto get settled before any questions rise up between the two of them. If you don't mind me asking, what the other story is? I'm always looking for a good read.

Keep reviewing, peeps! And please please please suggest this story to your friends! Haha.

Just as an end note, I usually post updates on story progress and all that in 'journal' entries on my profile page. Feel free to check up there if things seem to be moving rather slow.

I'll try to hurry with the next chapters so I don't leave you all hanging again.

Hehe.

Raven


	6. Open Up To Me

A/N:

Hahaha. You guys make me laugh. I love reading reviews, and I have to say…flame gazer, you're really whipping me into shape xD. But that's good! I like constructive criticism! Hehehe.

Looks like they're not letting me do hearts anymore…bastards…so…I'll have to think of something else. -.-

But alas! Chapter six! Whoot.

**:Dobe-chan:**

Chapter Six: Open Up To Me 

The all too familiar scent of miso ramen drifted over Sasuke, peaking his interest and pulling him from sleep. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning and stretching and looking around for the source of the smell. It didn't take him long to find Naruto sitting on his knees in the corner, stirring a small pot of ramen over an equally small hot plate.

"Ramen for breakfast?" He asked drowsily, still not entirely at one with the morning.

"You remember whose house you're at?" Naruto asked. "I live off ramen. You should know that by now." Sasuke smiled and pushed himself up. He scooped his clothes off the floor and headed into the bathroom to shower, feeling it was only fair that he took the first shower today--Naruto had used all the hot water the previous night. When he emerged, two bowls of ramen sat on the floor steaming with chopsticks carefully placed next to them. Naruto was moving the mat under the bed, perfectly made and with the pillow still on top.

"Smells good." Sasuke said, trying to lighten up the awkwardness of the current situation.

"Always does." Naruto clicked the hotplate off and yanked the plug from the wall, letting it drop as he picked up the small metal contraption up and moved it to a shelf on the other side of the room. He then proceeded to scoop up the bowls and practically tossed one at Sasuke. He managed to catch it before it tipped, luckily enough.

The two boys ate for the most part in silence, sitting side-by-side on the bed. One would cast a short glance at the other, then look away quickly at the slightest sign of his gaze being met. "Sasuke?" Naruto asked finally, seeing the dark haired boy finish off the last of his noodles. He replied non-verbally, meeting his eyes to Naruto's. "Why don't we ever talk?"

"We talk every day, dobe. What are we doing now?" This got him a glare.

"I know that, stupid. It's just that I hear other people talking about all sorts of things with their friends…why don't we?" Sasuke didn't entirely know how to respond.

_Because I'm afraid I'll tell you how I feel? _The genin paused, debating whether or not he should say it. Glass half full: Naruto returns the feelings, all is well, they continue life happily. Glass half empty: Naruto doesn't feel the same, becomes traumatized, never looks at Sasuke the same way again. Needless to say, glass half-empty had the upper hand."What a stupid question." He stood, plucking the empty bowl from Naruto's hands and moving toward the bathroom to wash them in the sink. Naruto's face dropped, and he looked at his empty hands for a while. Fearing that his eyes might betray him, he shot up and stopped the other boy.

"I'll handle it." He said quietly, trying to keep his voice from cracking.

"Naruto I can--"

"I said I'll handle it!" He yanked the bowls from the pale hands of his rival and rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

---

"Well that's good. Now Sasuke's gone." Iruka slid into the restaurant booth--the exact one Kakashi and Sasuke had occupied just days before. He looked across the table to the other ninja, who had taken to staring out the window at the thick clouds.

"I'm sure he's fine."

"You are? So you know where he went then?" Iruka wasn't normally this sarcastic with him, and it was getting to Kakashi just a bit.

The silver haired jounin sat quietly for a moment. "No, I don't know where he is. But this is Sasuke, remember. He's too strong-willed to get hurt, and too connected to Naruto to just leave." This obviously didn't please the chuunin, but he chose to say nothing. "I'm sure they'll both turn up soon with a perfectly good explanation."

"You're probably right." Iruka admitted finally. The two finished in silence, Iruka by now not even bothering to try figuring out how Kakashi managed to eat. They left in an equally awkward silence. It took them a good twenty minutes to realize that neither of them had anything planned for the day. "What in the world are we doing?" Iruka finally asked, hoping Kakashi was going through the same thought process.

"I honestly don't know. You have work to do or something?" Iruka smiled inwardly, keeping a look of confusion on his outward appearance.

"No. There haven't been any missions scheduled, so I've had no paperwork. What about you?"

"You just answered your own question." Iruka's look of confusion became real. "My team is obviously not going on any missions anytime soon."

"So what are we going to do all day?" Both were grinning deep inside, but were too unsure of the other to admit anything. Neither answered, just kept walking. Iruka shivered suddenly then turned his eyes to the sky, stopping and holding out his hand. "Rain." He said quietly. Sure enough, two droplets landed in his up-turned palm.

"Some weather we've been having." Kakashi said, feeling larger drops land on his shoulders and face. "C'mon. We might make it home before the downpour sets in."

"I don't live anywhere near here though!" Iruka shouted over a sudden roll of thunder. Not exactly the kind of weather you'd want to be caught outside in.

"Then I guess we'll have to get back to my place." No sooner had he said that, the clouds seemed to thicken and the entire village was left in a blanket of thick rain. Kakashi's home was a five minute walk from their current position, but with a good run they made it in half the time.

"Just our luck." Iruka said, sloshing through Kakashi's front door.

"Go shower. Don't want you getting sick on my time." The jounin yelled, having already disappeared into a back room. Moments later a set of clothes came flying into the hall, shortly followed by a towel. "Bathroom's just down the hall." Iruka nodded despite knowing Kakashi couldn't see him. He scooped up the clothes and towel and headed off down the hall, finding the bathroom in no time at all.

When he stepped out of the shower it was rather shocking to see his clothes had disappeared from the corner he'd thrown them in. He blushed madly, realizing that Kakashi had been there. He chose to accept it and pulled the clothes on, letting his towel drop onto his shoulders as he pulled his hair back up into a ponytail.

He entered the hall way, wincing as the electricity flickered. A roll of thunder shook the house and Iruka rushed quickly to find Kakashi. Who knows why...but he just felt compelled to be with the jounin. He was soon greeted by a wonderful smell and found his silver haired friend in the kitchen, stirring a pot of what looked to be cocoa. It appeared that he hadn't noticed Iruka's presence. But with ninja, nothing was ever as it seemed. "Almost ready. Feel free to take a seat."

It took Iruka a minute to realize it, but Kakashi's voice was…clearer. When one becomes so used to something, it's very hard to notice it's disappearance. But once Kakashi turned around, Iruka found the difference. The mask and the head band were gone. He brought the cocoa to the table and sat across from the chuunin, shoving one of the mugs over. "I don't think I've ever seen you without your mask, Kakashi." Definitely stepping into unknown territory, but it was worth a try.

"Not many people have." Kakashi said, taking a sip of cocoa.

"Should I consider myself lucky?" Kakashi had started to stand up but stopped, still supporting himself with the table. He leaned across and took a soft hold of Iruka's chin, lifting it slightly so that their eyes met.

"Maybe you should." They stared at each other silently for a while before Kakashi turned away, setting his cup on the counter and moving in to the front room. "You'll need a place to sleep." Iruka hadn't even noticed the time. It was getting rather late, so he nodded in agreement and moved into the front room as well.

---

Sasuke had by this time pulled the mat back out from under the bed and was laying with his back to the bathroom. He figured that if Naruto thought he was asleep he'd mind his own business for a while. At least until Sasuke felt like talking again. He stared at the emptiness under Naruto's bed, listening to the clinking of the bowls and the tapping of the chopsticks.

The blonde had been at it for hours. Continuously washing the dishes and chopsticks, not wanting to go back out into the bedroom. It wasn't that he was angry with Sasuke or embarrassed or anything like that…it was the feeling of rejection. Obviously Sasuke didn't feel the same way.

He finally gave up on hiding and slid the door open, moving into the room slowly. He saw Sasuke's back turned and, naturally, figured that the other was asleep. He moved quietly around the room, intending to tidy up the place. He leaned over Sasuke, pulling a couple shirts and pairs of pants out from between the main bed and the nightstand.

"What're you doing?" Naruto jumped at the other boy's voice, falling forward onto the pile of clothes he'd picked up, as well as on top of Sasuke.

"Ow! Dammit Sasuke look what you did!" Naruto howled, lifting up his arm. A kunai had been left in a pack somewhere in the pile of clothes, and in the confusion had fallen out and caught Naruto's arm.

"What I did! You're the one who fell on my rib cage, moron!" Sasuke rolled over and sat up, pushing Naruto off at the same time. He noticed the cut and inwardly he felt bad. It looked rather deep, and was both long and wide. He'd obviously caught the thick side of the kunai. Searching the floor for the pants he'd arrived in yesterday, Sasuke stood slowly. Naruto just sat and watched, clutching the wound carefully.

Sasuke crouched down in front of his small folded pile, searching the pockets and packs. He took a few minutes, then returned with something in hand. "Give me your arm." He said firmly.

"What for? It's just a little wound…it's not like it hurts too ba--AGGH!" Sasuke yanked Naruto's arm forward, using his teeth to yank a length of bandage out from his enclosed fist. "What the hell was that! Are you trying to make it worse!"

"No, dobe. I'm trying to fix it." It was strange how calm Sasuke was…a rather new concept for Naruto. He soon relaxed, watching Sasuke tend to the cut so carefully. It was almost saddening to see him finish.

"Thanks." Naruto stared at his criss-crossed feet, fighting his vocal chords to get the words out. Damn nerves.

"What's wrong?" This question caught the blonde off guard.

"Nothing! Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, dobe." Silence.

"Have you ever wanted to tell someone something, but didn't have the guts to do it?" Sasuke's hopes rose just a little, hoping he was on the same page as Naruto. "I'm sure you haven't. Cause…that'd mean you were scared of the answer. And the great Sasuke isn't afraid of anything." He added at the last minute, not wanting to seem like a complete push over.

"Yes. I have." Naruto looked up, meeting the gray eyes of his teammate. Naruto's hopes were about as high as

Sasuke's now. "I still do." Naruto didn't know what to say.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." He said finally, trying his hardest to sound playful.

"What I want to say isn't to be messed around with, Naruto."

"Just tell me! It'll be fun to get it off your chest." The blonde was right…for once.

"No Naruto."

"Oh come on! Just--"

"I said no!" Sasuke's eyes flared, a slight glimmer of red running over the irises. It seemed almost like his Sharingan was responding to his frustration. Naruto stared, slightly frightened. Needless to say his hopes sank. He nodded silently, standing and climbing into his bed. If he slept all day that'd be fine as far as he was concerned.

Sasuke obviously didn't care.

---

Iruka had taken a spot on the floor, sleeping on a roll-out mat Kakashi had retrieved from the closet. It really couldn't be called sleeping, since all he was doing was thinking with his eyes closed. "What do you want, Kakashi?" He asked bluntly.

"I'm impressed." Came a voice from the door.

"You shouldn't be. I heard your footsteps." Kakashi shrugged, despite the fact that he knew Iruka couldn't see him. "I'll ask again, what do you want?" Silence. Iruka could hear the other ninja trying the light switch, but to no prevail. The power was out. Footsteps…a drawer opening…shuffling…footsteps…a clink…a loud scratch…and light. The jounin walked over in front of Iruka and sat, putting the candle on the floor next to him. "Have a bad dream?"

Kakashi's expression didn't change. This didn't really concern Iruka, just caught his attention. He sat up to match the other, avoiding his eyes. "I just couldn't sleep."

"So you were planning on waking me up, too?"

"You weren't asleep."

"And if I had been?"

"I was sure you weren't." This both creeped Iruka out, and peaked his interest. Kakashi, obviously, noticed. "I'm only across the hall, Iruka. I've heard you sleep before." He snickered at Iruka's now angered face.

"I don't snore that bad!" No comment. Just more laughter. The room soon fell silent, though, and Iruka somehow got the feeling that Kakashi was staring at him. Every once in a while lightning would light the room and the chuunin would see a small glint run across the other's eyes. Tired of the awkwardness of the situation, he spoke up. "You never really answered my question…"

"What's that?"

"What you want. And don't give me that 'I couldn't sleep' deal. We're too old for that." Silence again. Lightning flashed and Iruka could see Kakashi's eyes had moved to the floor, staring deep in thought. This interested the dark haired chuunin. Maybe Kakashi was feeling the same way he was? And just having doubts? "…Well?" He said, trying to soften his tone a bit.

"It's complicated."

"In what way?"

Kakashi shifted his weight, leaning forward slightly. "Well…there's something I wanted to ask you, and something I wanted to tell you…"

"So go ahead." Iruka kept a straight poker-face outwardly, but couldn't help smiling inwardly.

"It's not that simple, Iruka! I'd tell you, but it's your reaction I'm worried about." Iruka's poker-face softened slightly, the corners of his mouth curling into a comforting smile.

"It's not like you to be acting this way, Kakashi." This got him a glare so fierce he didn't need lightning to see it.

"This is all just a joke to you, isn't it?" Kakashi returned his eyes to the floor. It was true, and he knew it. He was usually so spontaneous…so outspoken. And here he was, afraid to tell Iruka how he felt. Three simple words, and he couldn't get them out worth anything.

"Just ask, Kakashi. Really, I'll listen."

He swallowed hard, refusing to look up worth anything. "Do you love anyone?" Iruka stared at the other, his eyes never once moving. How was he supposed to answer that? It was an easy answer…but one he couldn't seem to squeeze from his throat. His expression softened all the more and he relaxed his shoulders, smiling once again at the jounin.

"Yes, I do."

---

The storm flared past the tightly closed window, causing Sasuke to jump slightly. He hadn't been able to get himself back to sleep once it started, and he was wondering if it was really worth it to keep trying. He stopped moving for a bit, hearing something change in the room. The steady rhythm of Naruto's breathing changed, and became less noticeable. Was he awake? "Sasuke?"

"What?" He answered coldly, wanting to sound angry.

"I'm sorry." Naruto's voice was quiet, like he was hiding something. "I didn't mean to…well I…I've just…" The dark-haired boy sat up and looked at the other genin, laying on his side with his back to the mat. He crawled up and laid down on his back next to Naruto, who in turn rolled onto his back. "I've just been confused about you."

"What do you mean?" He asked, even though he knew exactly what the other meant.

"I've been confused about how you feel, Sasuke. How you feel about me." The blonde rolled his head over and stared, his bright blue eyes glinting around the edges. Sasuke hadn't turned his head, however. He just stared wide-eyed at the ceiling. Here was his chance to honestly tell Naruto how he felt, and he couldn't speak.

"I…Naruto…" The blonde looked pleadingly, the tears streaming quickly down his face now, obviously jumping to the wrong conclusion. Sasuke turned his head finally, realizing what the other must be thinking.

"It's just that I like you…a lot…and I don't know how you feel…" Sasuke sat up and stared at the opposite wall for a minute. "I understand if you're upset…but could we at least still be friends? I don't want—" Before Naruto could realize what was happening, Sasuke had climbed over him on his knees, one hand on either side of the blonde's head to support him. Their noses were mere inches away and they looked each other directly in the eyes.

"Don't worry, dobe. We'll still be friends." Naruto's expression remained shocked for a moment, his mind still registering what happened. But eventually it turned to a soft smile.

"I'm glad." He said quietly, just as Sasuke leaned down and caught him in a kiss.

**The lemon goes here. I'm still looking for a site to post it on.**---

The following morning was a very giddy one. Even Sasuke's usual attitude was lifted just a bit; he constantly had a calm smile on. All through breakfast he couldn't keep himself from staring at Naruto, who just laughed. "Are you done? I'll wash your bowl." He asked mid-laugh, standing and dropping his chopsticks into the empty bowl. Sasuke just stared at where Naruto was sitting, saying nothing. The blonde 'hmph'ed, and walked over, knocking on top of the Uchiha's head. "Hello?"

"Hello." Sasuke said, wrapping his arm around Naruto and pulling him close, his hips at Sasuke's ear.

"What are you doing all of a sudden!" He said mid-laugh. "Let me go!"

Sasuke grinned. "Never." Naruto laughed even more, reaching down and ruffling Sasuke's hair. The dark haired genin stood, grabbed the bowl from Naruto, then pecked lightly at his lips. "I'll take care of these today." Naruto nodded slowly, moving backward and sitting on the bed.

"You know, we might be able to get out of the house today."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke called from the bathroom.

"Well…it's the last day the curse is on the house, so it'll be starting to weaken, ne?" Sasuke turned, his hands stopping in the sink.

"Yes, but it'll still cause pain, wont it? And we can't open the windows…" He nodded toward Naruto's hands. "So we should probably just wait it out."

"What if I tried Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?"

"They disappear when they're hurt." Sasuke said bluntly.

"When they're _hit._ We could try sending some out through the hall, and we could have some others try to open the window." Sasuke said nothing for a minute. "They won't be so easily destroyed, and they're just bunshins. It's not like it matters if they're hurt. We can use them to get Kakashi-sensei."

"Fine. But don't over do it." Naruto nodded and formed the sign, and in no time six bunshins appeared on the bed.

"You three try to open the window, and you three try going through the hall. If you make it out, go get Kakashi-sensei or Iruka-sensei." The bunshins all nodded, then got to work on their tasks. As soon as their hands touched the window, a loud buzzing noise filled the room, causing Sasuke to drop the dishes in order to cover his ears. The bunshins didn't disappear, though, just continued pushing against the window. And the three that headed out into the hall pushed onward, closing the door quickly behind them.

"Make them stop, dobe! It's too loud!" Sasuke screamed over the noise. Naruto had been one step ahead of Sasuke, though, and had moved up to the bunshins and hit one, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke. The other two stopped and looked, not sure what was going on.

"No more. I guess the spell hasn't weakened." He said loudly, his ears still recovering.

"If you knew that was going to happen, why did you suggest doing it?" Sasuke asked, moving out of the bathroom. He walked over to Naruto and whapped him over the head, glaring heavily.

"I thought the spell would be weakened!"

"What would that matter!"

"I just thought the sound would be a little more bearable."

"That sound will never be bearable." Sasuke ruffled the blonde hair of his partner, then returned to the bathroom. "That's what I love about you. You're such a dobe."

"I hope there are other reasons…" But Sasuke waved the comment off, and Naruto just smiled.

A/N:

Yes, I know. Another crazy ending. But me being my lazy-ass self…I can't think of how to continue. So I'm hoping to start off at a new place next chapter. In other words, deal with it.

If ANYONE knows where I can post the full version of this fic, please…DON'T HESITATE TO TELL ME.

I'm sure all of you want to read the lemony goodness. Hehe.

**:Dobe-Chan:**

**To Sonicfanatic: **Hehe, yeah. Gomen. I had some technical difficulties holding me back, so it took me a bit to update. I'll try to update more frequently now, though. Hehe. I'm glad you like the cornyness…there's going to be a whole lot of it…-.-;;

**To Sasuke2006: **No. No evil. Just lemon xD. But you're right…it might not be so bad…--evil, lemony thoughts—bahahaha I'm so bad. Teehee.

**To blue-genjutsu: **I'm glad you liked it. I thought you guys wouldn't like it, actually. So it's good to hear that someone did.

**To Red Asatari: **Hehe, don't worry about it. You really didn't miss anything…I just didn't update. Hehe. My bad. I promise to try and update more frequently.

**To flame gazer: **All my endings are either corny or crappy, and you should know this xD. I'm glad you'll let it slide, though. You've been really whipping this fic into shape, and for that I'm thankful. Hehe.

**To sasunaruXXnosebleedXX: **I'm glad you like it. Hopefully you'll like this chapter better when I find a place to post the lemony stuffs. Hehe.

**To RainbowColored: **Thank you very much, and I'm glad you liked it. It's always good to hear that kind of thing in reviews.

**To silver fox aka vash: **Hehe, I figured that you guys would like that. Good to hear. I'll try to keep the cuteness up, the cornyness down, and the crappyness WAY down…if that's possible in my case. Hehe.

**To Inu-Chan-000: **Yes, I updated. Gomen. I really didn't mean to keep you all waiting. And I'm happy I filled the void in your life. Heh. I'll have to go look at that story. I've just started getting into Fruits Basket, so it should be interesting.

**To Night Air: **I honestly don't know if that's a compliment or not…no offense. But I'm glad you're interested.


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